Joseph Aaron Pechman (April 2, 1918 – August 19, 1989) was a highly influential economist and taxation scholar in the United States. He graduated from the City College of New York and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He served as president of the American Economic Association and was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was also a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Core Ideas Pechman advocated income taxation, progressive tax rates, and tax reform. He was a major figure in the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Scholarship A prolific author, Pechman published influential books such as "Gender in the Workplace" and "How Taxes Affect Economic Behavior". Personal life Pechman was born in Borowie, Poland, in 1918. Pechman was married and had two daughters, Ellen Pechman and Jane Pechman Stern. References University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni American people of Polish descent Tax reform 1918 births 1989 deaths 20th-century American economists Presidents of the American Economic Association Distinguished Fellows of the American Economic Association